Paper and Ink
by Kitsune Moonstar
Summary: Derek walks into a bookstore looking for a title and leaves with something more.


Author's Note: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters. This is set in an alternate universe.

* * *

><p><strong>Paper and Ink<strong>

Derek does his best not to roll his eyes. It's hard not to though. This was why he avoided bookstores. He might be a bestselling author, but sometimes some of his fans annoyed him. Derek hadn't set out to become the hot new young adult author, but it had happened somehow. However, he couldn't always stand his own fans. While his series might have the same sort of fanbase as _Twilight_ (though his was better written thank you very much), Derek actually didn't have much use for the rest of his genre. He'd been intending to write a straight supernatural mystery series, but the characters had gotten away from him, and when his editor had noticed that most of the characters were between ages sixteen and twenty-five, she'd sold it as a young adult novel. The rest was history.

And part of Derek really didn't mind the fact that he was now writing for teenagers. Hopefully, his books could at least give them something to think about. But there was only so much squealing and romantic speculation that he could take. He ducked around the shelves and away from the teenagers. That put Derek solidly in the graphic novel section, which actually was what he was looking for. Now if he could just find the particular title. He was scanning the shelves when a young man nearly knocked into him with a failing arm.

"Sorry about that." Derek got a bright smile. "Can I help you find something?"

"I'm looking for Zdzislaw Stilinski's book. Um, _Celestial Tree_?"

The guy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Sure. Just give me a second."

He studied the shelves in front of them for a moment or two and then plucked the book out of them.

"Here you go."

Derek frowned slightly at it.

"Not what you expected?" The man asked.

Derek just shrugged. "Didn't really have any expectations. My agent is making me do graphic novel adaptions of my books, and he's the illustrator that the publisher chose. I just wanted to see what his art was like. I'm not exactly against the idea, but they're my characters. I have a very clear picture of them in my head, and I'm not sure I trust anyone else with them. I've seen what happens with some comic book adaptations."

The other guy shrugged. "That's fair. What do you think of the art?"

"I like the cover." Derek offered.

He did too. The cover of the book featured a stylized tree that clearly took its inspiration from Celtic and Norse artwork. The colors started with rich browns at the bottom that shaded into all shades of green in the trees leaves.

"Are you a fan?" he asked the man. It seemed likely.

His companion shrugged. "I like a lot of the work. There's room for improvement though."

"Do you read a lot of graphic novels?" Derek asked. "I'll be honest. I've only ever followed a couple of comics, and I'm really out of my league."

That made the other man smile. "Oh, you are so going to regret asking me that. I'm Stiles by the way."

"Derek."

"All right, let's find some place a little more comfortable to talk. They've got a great café in the back."

Which was how Derek found himself tucked away at a table in the back with a cup of coffee as Stiles gave him a treatise on graphic novels, comics, and everything in between. It was very clear that Stiles was both passionate about the subject and quite knowledgeable about it. He punctuated sentences with quick hand movements and expressive faces. And the information was useful too. He was in the middle of explaining to Derek the problems with continuity reboots his phone went off. Stiles shot him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about this, but I need to take this call. It won't be but a minute."

Derek used the time to flip through Stilinski's book. In all honesty, Derek likes the artwork and he's impressed by the storytelling. If it was just the matter of commissioning an artist, Derek wouldn't have any problems. But he wasn't sure that he could trust his characters to the man. Derek's writing was deeply personal, and trust had never been one of his strong suits. But if he had to entrust his characters and stories to someone else, Derek wanted to be to someone like Stiles who was so passionate about the medium.

Stiles slid back into his seat. "Sorry about that. So, tell me about your books."

That caught Derek off guard. "Are you sure?"

"I'm curious. Sometimes the biggest problem with graphic novel adaptations is that the story doesn't lend itself to the format. And I'm nosy."

His books were one of the few things that Derek didn't struggle to talk about. So he launched into a basic summery of the plot for the series. Stiles stopped him about halfway in.

"Wait a minute. I think I've read these books. You're Derek Hale?"

He shrugged. "Yeah."

Stiles just grinned. "Man, I loved your books. It's so nice having a supernatural story that wasn't just another dopey love story. And the world is just so complex. I can see why you wouldn't want to trust just anyone with it." Stiles bit his lip and paused a moment before continuing on. "So, I've got a bit of a confession to make. Stiles is a nickname since barely anyone can actually pronounce my real name. You actually managed it which gets you points, and I probably should have introduced myself, but you're good looking and you actually are willing to listen to be ramble on about graphic novel which is rare. And was kind of thinking about asking you out on a date which would be awkward if you found out later that I'm actually Zdzislaw Stilinski and-"

"Stiles," Derek interrupted his rambling. "Calm down."

He took a deep breath. "Sorry."

Derek just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. So, you're going to be doing the art for my books."

It was Stiles turn to shrug. "Looks like it. I just got the call from my agent about the project."

Derek nodded. "And you've read my books. You liked them."

"Yes." Stiles still looked a little flustered.

"Okay. Are you busy tonight?"

Stiles blinked at him, his eyes going wide. "No."

That made Derek smile. "All right. I'll make you dinner if you want. We can discuss character designs and a second date."

Stiles' smile completely lit up his face. "Sounds good to me."

Derek smiled back and sipped at his coffee. The sinking feeling about this particular project was gone.


End file.
